I heard a man say when women give-up their paid maternity leave, then they can get equal pay. Ha! I say that when he can go through a nine-month pregnancy and bear a child, he can get no paid leave and less pay, just like we do.Jean, Virginia

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If you believe that in America we should all be able to make it work, join our community. Urge public officials and leaders to support solutions to these issues that help all of us “make it work”. That means paid leave and sick days, high quality and affordable care for children and other loved ones, and equal pay for men and women. Read More

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Work and Family

Being there when family needs you isn’t negotiable. When you’re sick, have a baby on the way, or are facing a family emergency, you shouldn’t have to count on having an understanding boss or accommodating co-workers to make it work.

But without protections in place, that’s exactly what we do – and often, we sacrifice a paycheck, or risk our jobs, to do it.

That’s why we’re calling for theHealthy Families Act, which would allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days a year. We should be able to stay home when we’re sick, or when a child or close loved one needs care.

We shouldn’t risk losing a much-needed paycheck, or worse, our job, for taking time off to care for family – whether that’s a newborn baby or a parent with cancer. Congress should pass the FAMILY Act, which provides paid leave to care for new children and those with serious illnesses.

Congress should also pass thePregnant Workers Fairness Act, which ensures women can maintain both their jobs and healthy pregnancies. It protects women’s right to ask for reasonable changes on the job so they can keep working to support their families.

Finally, Congress should pass theSchedules That Work Act, which ensures flexible and predictable work schedules. Getting work schedules last minute puts people in tough situations as they scramble to find care for children or take classes to finish school. People should get work schedules at least two weeks in advance, and should be able to request flexible schedules that allow them to take care of responsibilities both at and outside of work.

Work is increasingly demanding more while our current policies are offering up less and less. Let’s change that. People who work hard deserve to make more than a decent living—we deserve a decent life.

Make It Work is the education arm of our campaign working to advance economic security for women, men and families across the country. America is ready for common sense workplace policies and ambitious solutions that will help people across the country “make it work.” To that aim, Make It Work is changing the conversation about work and family in this country.

Make It Work Action (MIWA) is the nonpartisan advocacy arm of Make It Work. MIWA engages in activities, including voter education, candidate “birddogging” and impacting public policy.

MIWA is championing new policy solutions to help families make it work — and working to ensure that public officials and candidates are doing the same. To take all this from pipe dream to policy, MIWA is working hard to hold public officials and candidates accountable to everyday people. That includes organizing in the states – partnering with strong local organizations and in places where the 2016 presidential contest unfolds.